Chapter 50
Back in the locker, Mia woke slowly, pain pulling her from a dream where Caleb had found her. Her ribs ached with every breath, a deep, grinding pain.
How long had she been here? One day? Two? Three or more? Time didn’t move right in the dark.
Her mouth was dry. She tried to swallow, but there was nothing there. Her tongue was thick, her throat constricted. Her head throbbed, a dull pressure behind her eyes. The cold never ceased, and she was shivering uncontrollably, the metal beneath her stealing whatever heat she had left.
Somewhere nearby, the water lapped softly.
The sun was out. Life was going on as normal.
Out there. Nothing was normal in this hellhole.
Mia’s thoughts drifted through her life.
Her mom. Her dad. Graduating from culinary school.
Caleb’s kisses and caresses. The weight of his body, the sound of his laugh.
She closed her eyes. She had a good life. She wasn’t ready to let it go.
“Mia,” he shouted. Even though she probably couldn’t hear him.
Nobody answered him. No sound beyond the soft lap of the water and the distant music drifting across the lake.
Normal.
“Check the locker,” Nate said behind him.
Caleb pivoted, already moving, his heart hammering hard enough to hurt.
Mia heard it.
A voice, distant but real, reached her.
Hope kicked hard in her chest.
She tried to move closer to the seam, but the pain from her ribs stole her breath. She froze, straining to listen past the pounding in her ears.
Another voice followed. Closer this time. Male.
Hope surged so fast it made her dizzy.
She opened her mouth to call out. But no sound came out. Her throat was raw. Her chest tightened as panic crowded in. She swallowed hard and tried again.
Nothing.
She slid down the side of the locker, the metal cold against her cheek. “I’m here,” she whispered to the walls. “I’m here.”
She held her breath and listened.
They were close now.
“Cut it,” Caleb said.
Titus was already there with the bolt cutters. The lock snapped and clattered to the ground.
Caleb yanked at the door.
It didn’t open.
He yanked again with everything he had. His shoulders burned.
The door tore open.
“Mia.” The sound came out broken.
She was crumpled inside, knees drawn, head resting on them. Shaking.
“Caleb,” she whispered.
He was in front of her, dropping to his knees. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. You’re safe.”
She tried to smile and hissed instead. She clutched her side, tears spilling down her face. Relief washed through him, tangled with a fear he couldn’t shake. His hands curled into fists at his sides, useless, desperate to fix something he couldn’t touch.
“Don’t move,” he said, hands hovering, terrified to touch the wrong place. “Stay still.”
Nate was already on the radio. “Dispatch, we have her. Female found alive. Requesting ambulance, south inlet access road. Possible rib injury, dehydration.”
“Copy,” came the reply. “EMS en route.”
Caleb eased a blanket around her shoulders, careful, so careful. His fingers shook as he tucked it in. She leaned into him anyway, breath shallow, fingers fisting weakly into his shirt as if letting go might undo everything.
“Roy, Dana,” she whispered.
His throat closed. “We know, sweetheart,” he said softly. “You’re safe now.”
Sirens cut through the night, distant at first and then closer. Red and blue lights washed the trees and reflected off the water.
The medics moved fast. They slipped her onto a gurney, and when Caleb tried to follow, a hand stopped him.
“Not yet,” one of them said.
Nate drove. Caleb couldn’t. His hand wouldn’t stop shaking.
He couldn’t get Mia’s face out of his mind. The haunted look in her eyes. How thin she was. How filthy. The locker had reeked of vomit, rot and stagnant water. Things no one should ever have to breathe in, let alone survive.
Anger surged hot in his chest. He was going to kill Dana when he found her. No punishment would ever be enough.
But beneath the fury, there was something heavier, more concerning.
Fear.
Caleb knew men who had been held captive who never fully came back. Nightmares. Panic. The PTSD was debilitating.
He was grateful beyond words that Mia was alive. Terrified of what it had cost her.
He just prayed it hadn’t cost her more than he could help her carry.
The hospital room was quiet except for the beeping machines and muted voices. The air smelled of antiseptic, sharp enough to sting his nose.
Mia lay pale against the white sheets, with an oxygen line tucked beneath her nose and an IV taped to her arm. Her chest rose and fell, each breath measured, shallow but steady.
Caleb sat by her bedside watching the numbers on the monitor even though he didn’t fully understand them. Steady was good. Steady meant she was still here.
A nurse came in and adjusted the blanket. “She’s stable. A couple of cracked ribs. Dehydration. We’ll run some more tests, but she’s strong.”
Caleb nodded, his throat too tight to manage words.
The nurse lowered the lights and left. Caleb leaned toward her just to hear Mia breathe. The faint rise and fall of her chest, proof she was still here.
Mia stirred.
“Hey, I’m here.”
Her eyelids fluttered open.
“Hospital?” she murmured, her voice rough and uncertain.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “You’re safe.”
“You came.”
“Always,” he said without hesitation. It wasn’t a promise. It was a fact.
Her fingers sought his. He took her hand, careful of the IV.
She held on, not tight. Just enough.
Her eyes drifted closed. Caleb stayed right where he was. She was hurt. She would be scared later. He knew that.
But she was alive. And she wasn’t alone.